Errors happen, even with payroll, but speed is of the essence in correcting them to avoid further eroding worker trust and risking litigation. The steps for correcting pay disputes will vary depending on whether the error is an overpayment or underpayment or if the disputes involve legal matters.
"When it comes to pay, even small errors can have a detrimental impact on an employee's trust in their employer," said Craig Boelte, CFO of Paycom in Oklahoma City.
"If it is a simple mathematical error or a failure to include a pay increase or hours worked, check the math and make the correction," said Ann Wicks, an attorney with Withersworldwide in San Francisco. "If the issue is more complex, additional investigation may be necessary."
For example, some disputes involve whether an employee worked overtime, worked through lunch, failed to punch in or out, or was asked to work off the clock, she noted.
"Those types of issues will require you to talk to the employee, the manager and maybe some of the others in the department or work unit to determine how much time was worked," Wicks said.
Technology may illuminate the truth, as well. "Electronic badges, cameras and equipment logs may reveal when the employee was onsite, when they logged in or out, and if they were active on the computer or other equipment," she said. "While uncommon, some managers will ask employees to work off the clock or through lunch and then deny they did so."
For more complicated situations, such as a...
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